94 HOESE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA. 



former practice is the fruitful cause of " cracked heels ; " 

 and the latter induces thrush, and softens and weakens 

 the sole, frog, and crust. The old ideas of " thinning " 

 the sole, and keeping the feet soft by stoppings of cow- 

 dung and clay, are antiquated fallacies that hardly 

 require being combated in the present day. In India, 

 especially, we require the feet to be as hard and tough 

 as possible, so that the horse may neither flinch, nor 

 go short over hard or broken ground, nor become 

 lame if he casts a shoe, and has to proceed for a few 

 miles bare-foot. Water applied to the feet renders 

 them soft and weak, on account of the capillary 

 attraction exerted by the fibres of the horn on any 

 liquid with which it may come in contact. It is a sig- 

 nificant fact that the drier the climate is, in which 

 horses are bred and reared, the stronger and better 

 able to stand work will their feet be. 



No benefit is obtained by applying hoof ointment to 

 the crust ; unless, perhaps, to those parts from which 

 the hard and varnished covering of the wall may have 

 been rasped away by a careless or ignorant shoeing- 

 smith. The growth of the wall of the hoof can alone 

 be hastened by stimulating the coronet which secretes 

 it ; hence, any hoof ointment, used as such, is power- 

 less to effect this end. 



Although the employment of greasy applications may 

 have a temporary effect in tending to render dry horn 

 tough ; still, their constant use will, as a rule, cause 

 the feet to become far more brittle than they were 

 before ; if, by any chance, these dressings are discon- 

 tinued. They should, therefore, not be employed with 

 horses, like those in the army, that may be sent on 



